Last winter (when we could play basketball), there was one day where my oldest son had the game of his life. Basketball isn’t his thing. He’s more of a baseball kid who plays a little basketball in the winter. He’s athletic and smart, so he’s in the mix for basketball, but he isn’t anywhere near the top.
He discovered an area of the game that he’s good at and can do: rebounding and tough defense. He turned himself into the kid you want on your team. He hustles and doesn’t give up any easy baskets. He’s in the right place at the right time.
But when he shoots, even the parents on the sideline cover their eyes and look away. He shoots a basketball like he’s throwing a baseball. CLANG!
I’ve worked with him a little, but still, CLANG! BANG! The ball bounces off the hoop at 90 miles an hour. There isn’t any finesse to his game.
But this one day, that all changed; and it can all change for you too.
Early in the first quarter, he found himself open under the basket. He caught a great pass and then turned and scored two points!! In the second quarter, it happened again!! His personal best score for the year before this game was 3 points in a game. He scored 10 points on that day, including the game-winning shot with two seconds on the clock.
There are two things here I want you to see. One is that my son found an area where he was confident, and then used that as a beachhead to do even better. He felt like he was contributing to the team by playing tough for a few games, and he slowly advanced his game from there. He didn’t suddenly get better at shooting. What he got was more CONFIDENT in his own ability to get it done. His skills didn’t change. The way he viewed his skills changed. His entire reality shifted that day on the basketball court. The day before, he saw himself as a mediocre player. That day, he saw himself as the best player on the court. Both views were 100% accurate. He created the reality around himself. I watched it happen.
It happens all the time.
I see people walk into a test and say “oh jeez, I’m terrible at pharm. Here we go again.” And I think holy crap, of course you’re terrible at pharm. You keep telling yourself that you suck. You know how easy it is to make that your reality? It’s simple. Don’t put in any work. Fail, and then you can say how right you were. Congratulations, your ego is intact.
T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E
Oh, and the second thing. What did my kid do when he got home from that game? He picked up a ball and practiced his shooting. He NEVER practices basketball. He though he wasn’t that good, and he wanted to keep it that way (don’t judge him, we all do this to save our egos). That day, his image shifted, and he saw himself as worth it. He saw that he could be a good player. Funny what a little success does and how quickly reality shifts.
So here’s what you do: you practice a little. You find something you can be good at on your exams. You build exam confidence in one small area and get better and better. One place it’s so easy to improve and build skills is with key terms. They aren’t just lists to memorize. Memorizing lists won’t help, but if you learn them and start to “see” how they fit in, they help you to build confidence on exam day. It’s just like my kid, scoring 10 points that day. You need the confidence first.
And nothing is better for learning key terms than The Final Step
Brian